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MacBook battery not charging? Here's how to fix it

Plugging in your charging cable and your MacBook battery still not charging can be frustrating. But have no fear, not matter if it's a MacBook Air battery not charging or a MacBook Pro battery not charging, there may be a fix.

Here are a few troubleshooting tips you can try to get your battery back on track.

1 Reboot your MacBook

Just like software apps on your MacBook can get frozen or bugged up, so can the hardware that controls the charging of your MacBook. A simple reboot could reset the hardware controlling MacBook charge and could fix the problem of your battery not charging.

Press the Apple icon in top left of screen.

Click Restart.

Wait for the reboot, and try charging MacBook again.

2 Check the MagSafe power cable

If your MacBook Pro battery isn't charging, the most likely place to check for trouble is in the MagSafe charging cable. It could be frayed, broken, or burned. A simple way to see if it's the problem is by doing a thorough inspection of the entire cable.

Inspect every inch of the cable. Look for broken spots, or any dark discolorations on the surface of the cable.

Check the AC brick portion of the MagSafe cable. Make sure it's not discolored or warped.

If you find damage on any portion of the MagSafe power cable, there's a good chance that it's causing your MacBook battery to not charge. You can easily find a replacement on Apple's website or on Amazon.

3 Inspect your MacBook's power port

Another possible problem could be your MacBook's power port, where the MagSafe cable gets plugged in. It's quite uncommon as Apple went to big lengths to ensure the MagSafe port is protected against accidental yanks and trips over the cable. If it's indeed the problem, could mean a replacement of your laptop - so check to see if it's still under warranty!

Look for any discolorations, burns, or dents inside of the port. If any of these symptoms appear, it could mean your port is damaged.

SMC, or the System Management Controller, is a chip controller that is responsible for several operations within MacBook computers.

For MacBook's with a removable battery (early 2009 and older)

Press the icon in top left of screen

Click Shutdown

Disconnect the MagSafe power adapter from the computer

Remove the battery

Press and hold the power button for 5 seconds

Release the power button

Reconnect the battery and MagSafe power adapter

Press the power button to turn on the computer

Try charging

For MacBook's with a non-removable battery (mid 2009 and newer)

Press the icon in top left of screen

Click Shutdown

Plug in the MagSafe or USB-C power adapter to a power source and to your computer.

On the built-in keyboard, press the (left side) Shift-Control-Option keys and the power button at the same time.

Release all the keys and the power button at the same time.

Press the power button to turn on the Mac laptop.

Try charging

5 Cooling your MacBook

If non of the above tips worked, the problem could be as simple as overheating. If the top or bottom of your laptop is hot to the touch, then this could be the culprit. Just place a fan near your MacBook to cool it down, or simply turn it off and let it be for an hour or two.

Overheating can stop your MacBook Pro or Air battery from charging if the thermal sensors within the computer detect a drastic rise in temperature, and shut off access to the battery as a safety precaution.

6 Last resort: technical support

If the problem STILL persists, unfortunately you've got to take your MacBook into a repair store for a fix. Every laptop has it's own quirks and problems, and at this point it's better for a professional to take a look into the problem as more than likely it'll have to be a unique fix.